What They’re Saying About Infoway…
Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) has participated in a number of independent financial and performance audits and technical reviews since its inception. The following reflects some of the notable findings contained within these reports.From Gartner Industry Research (2009):
"Government agencies that wish to fund interoperable IT applications and infrastructure across decentralized health systems should consider emulating Infoway’s ‘strategic investor’ and gated funding approaches."
Report number G00169484, 2009;
August 14: 1-7
From the Office of the
Auditor General of Canada (2009):
"Our examination of EHRs shows that Infoway has set a good foundation for the work it is doing by applying appropriate governance mechanisms to carry out its mandate and objectives. It has also implemented strategic plans, such as the Blueprint, that are consistent with its funding agreements with Health Canada."
Sec. 4.115;
Fall 2009 Report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada,
Nov. 3, 2009
From the Federal Review of Progress:
Electronic Health Records in Canada and
the role of Canada Health Infoway (2006):
"The novel Infoway model is highly successful."
"Buy-in to the approach is without parallel among federal/provincial initiatives."
"Infoway has provided value added, beyond what could be achieved if the jurisdictions were operating independently, by encouraging and supporting joint procurements, establishing national pricing and preferred vendors, and similar techniques."
"The amount of ground Infoway has covered in the past two years is breathtaking, and the quality and thoroughness of the work is exceptional. Infoway has discharged its mandate with energy, conviction, purpose, and results-orientation."
Joint Panel Review of Canada Health Infoway for Health Canada,
September 2006
From the Mid-Term
Performance Evaluation (2006):
"Infoway has achieved results (e.g., Pan-Canadian vision, multi-jurisdictional approaches, specific projects implemented, replication and reuse, and increase capacity in jurisdictions) that would not have been achieved without Infoway…Infoway has the strategies and organization now in place to complete its work."
Mid-Term Performance Evaluation,
BMB Consulting Services,
March 2006
From an Assessment of the
eHealth Technology Environment and the
Potential Impact of Recent Developments (2008):
"One of the advantages of the Infoway approach is the opportunity for lower costs made possible by doing things in common for multiple jurisdictions."
"Infoway’s implementation of its strategic investor model has resulted in projects which otherwise might have been high risk IT undertakings remaining grounded, focused, and results-oriented. Their practice of holding back a portion of their investment until the adoption phase has helped keep jurisdictions focused on results and implementation."
"The jurisdictions describe Infoway as demanding and tough to deal with, and often inflexible when requiring adherence to standards. In effect, when it is time to decide whether Infoway should be firm on enforcing standards, and inflexible on requiring project completion before final payment, jurisdictions, through their membership in Infoway, agree that these tough and inflexible approaches are in fact best."
"Regardless of source of funds, Infoway should have a mandate to oversee all the presently identifiable pieces of the eHealth landscape."
Manicom Consulting Review for Health Canada,
December 2008